Philadelphia 76ers: After five straight losses, Sixers defeat Rockets

Houston Rockets' Omer Asik, left, of Turkey, goes up for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers' Thaddeus Young in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

PHILADELPHIA — Inundated with talk of his team’s ongoing losing streak, Doug Collins was asked before the game about a possible turnaround for the 76ers.

“You have to get that first win before you get two in a row,” Collins said.

Simple as that, really, was how he made it sound. And that’s how easy it seemed for the Sixers Saturday night.

The Sixers found a way to get ahead early, found a way to make it hold and found a way to snap a five-game losing streak, beating Houston, 107-100, at Wells Fargo Center.

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Jrue Holiday seemed to will the Sixers to the win, with 30 points, nine assists and four steals. Thad Young (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Jason Richardson (16 points) did their parts, too, to help the Sixers earn a win for the first time since Jan. 1 … and their first win at home since Dec. 23.

The problem in most instances has been preventing lapses. They somehow pulled it off in a fourth quarter highlighted by a ridiculous baseball pass from Evan Turner to Thad Young on the fastbreak. With it, fans jumped out of their seats. Perhaps for the 100-93 lead it gave the home team. Perhaps for the promise of free Big Macs when the Sixers reach triple digits.

Either way, it was a welcome release for the Sixers, a beleaguered bunch that has lost 16 of its last 22 – even with the win over the Rockets.

Perhaps undaunted by their recent spate with losing, the Sixers took a lead. Sounds crazy, right? They went all night Wednesday trailing Toronto and, 30 seconds into this one, they were ahead.

It didn’t last. The Rockets opened up a huge lead in the first quarter with a 14-2 spurt. The way things have been going for the Sixers, you almost would’ve expected them to throw in the towel. Not so fast.

Spencer Hawes found Richardson hanging out in the lane for an easy lay-up and Dorell Wright knocked down a 3-pointer on successive possessions to help the Sixers piece together a 20-9 scoring surge. It helped them climb ahead of Houston, 29-25, by the end of the first quarter.

The last time the Sixers led anybody after one quarter was Jan. 1 in Los Angeles, in a game they ultimately won. Since then, it had been all losses.

Until Saturday.

Maybe it was a good sign, too, that they weren’t behind heading into the second. The Sixers have won eight of the nine games in which they’ve taken leads into the second quarter.

And from there, the Sixers built upon their advantage. A fastbreak dunk from Thad Young inside the final seconds gave them a 10-point lead, their largest of the opening half. Ultimately, they took a 58-50 edge into the break – the most points they’ve netted in the opening half of a game this season.

Scoring hasn’t exactly been the Sixers’ strong suit lately, being unable to crack the 90-point barrier in their recent five-game skid.

Haunted by third quarters lately, the Sixers actually held serve immediately after halftime.

Sure, the Rockets made their run – and got to the line throughout the period – but the Sixers still found a way to take an 85-76 lead into the fourth. And, oh by the way, the Sixers hadn’t lost in 14 games in which they led after three.

It might’ve helped their cause had Holiday’s bucket at the end of the third quarter actually counted. Holiday’s baseline jumper, after video replay, was waved off. Still, Holiday scored 11 of the Sixers’ 27 points in the third and single-handedly seemed to fend off Houston.

That doesn’t say much, either, considering how easy the Rockets got to the free-throw line. Houston was 11-for-13 from the charity stripe in the third, an effort that comprised nearly half of their 26-point output in the frame.

The Rockets tried to roll that into a fourth-quarter surge. It worked to a degree, cutting to within three points, at 96-93, on a head-turning play from James Harden. Houston’s leading scorer dribbled between his legs at full sprint, taking Thad Young out of his shoes and beating Richardson to the basket. The subsequent technical foul on Spencer Hawes put the Rockets within one possession of regaining a lead they hadn’t held since the first quarter.